Commissioner Garcia Richard Statement on Trump’s Brazen Land Grab

SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today that the administration of President Donald Trump plans to condemn around seven acres of state trust land along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the administration’s ongoing, and frequently lawless, campaign against immigrants. The lands were originally granted to the state by the federal government in 1898 for the purpose of earning money for schools.

The Trump government’s bullying is especially galling in light of past abuses by the federal government on state trust land. Commissioner Garcia Richard has written multiple letters to Customs and Border Protection during her tenure demanding the agency stop its illegal trespass on state lands to build Trump’s border wall. Previous Republican Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn also issued a letter in 2018 telling the agency to stop illegal trespass on state lands.

However, the current Trump administration has informed the State Land Office it intends to file condemnation paperwork on Friday, April 17, 2026 to take possession of the border parcel.

Commissioner Garcia Richard has released the following statement:

“I refuse to allow Donald Trump and his bullies to use state land to continue tearing children away from their families. Countless news reports have made it clear that the Trump administration’s border and immigration policies are deliberately cruel and intended to instill terror. Doing business with these thugs was simply not an option. Unsurprisingly, the President threw a temper tantrum when he couldn’t automatically get his way and is now going to forcibly take our state land and deny our school kids the revenue that comes from it. This is historic overreach by the Trump administration. It’s my duty as Land Commissioner to protect our lands from improper uses, and that is what I will always do. I do not take this brazen seizure of New Mexico’s lands lightly, and I have instructed my team to review all forms of recourse that may be available to us to fight this.”

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State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has earned about $14 billion for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, and universities. Over 13 million acres of state trust land are leased for a variety of uses, including ranching and farming, renewable energy, business development, mineral development, and outdoor recreation. The State Land Office has a dual mandate to use state trust land to financially support vital public institutions, while simultaneously working to protect the land for future generations.